BB 8330 blinking red light and nothing else

[didimum]

i just got the thing a month ago as a gift from a friend. had it about the way i liked it with apps and such and the 8330 froze. got a white screen and then some blinking red indicator light. the white screen disappeared and now all i have is the indicator light blinking about 5 times a set.
the apploader fix might work if the usb port could be recognized, but even pulling the battery (which i just purchased after the other one was checked and found dead) and it recognized the bb as a new device, loaded the software outside the apploader and then...nothing.
my plan for now is to wait for the new battery to get some juice in case that was affecting it. i don't know what else to do. i've checked the forums and didn't find any suggestions other than the pull battery, hit next when it sees it for a millisecond. it doesn't see it with or without the battery in various configurations.
somebody, give me some hope, please?

[didimum]

i have allowed the bb to charge overnight and i got the blinking light long enough for it to be recognized by the apploader. However, once it gets going, i get a screen popping up saying it lost the connection with the option to retry. if i click retry, it simply cycles through for a few minutes and sends the screen back up. if i retry again, it locks the computer and then the apploader stops responding. so basically, i get one shot after several hours of charging that seems to kill the battery and drop the connection from the phone.
also, the desktop manager starts up as soon as the phone is recognized, which also seems to bog things down. i don't know if that screen is for the manager or the apploader. i've closed the DM, but i still get it so i thought it was the apploader. but i just don't know.
is this an indication of a bad usb cord, am i screwing this up, or is the phone really just a paperweight?